Behind the Mind
by WitchFire Hazel
Summary: A girl that looks like any other yet possesses a secret with dangerous consequences. One-shot that might become a multi-chapter later if we'll received.
1. Chapter 1

A headache pounded behind her eyes as she watched the others play rummy. It felt like a mallet pounding away at her skull. It was difficult to think straight as the pain ebbed and flowed across her brain. Rummy was her favorite card game, but with the pain making it difficult to think clearly, she had to quit playing. She still enjoyed watching her closest friends try to one-up each other though.

She knew that the others were slightly relieved when she quit playing- she could see the relief in their eyes. They were hardly ever able to win when she played; she always seemed to know what they had. Even now, when she wasn't playing, she knew what they were holding- even without looking at their cards. Their moves were too straightforward; their discards were simple; they went about it as if they were barbarians braining their enemies with a club, instead of the graceful dance of the sword. _No Class_, the small voice whispered in her head. She smiled behind the book she was unsuccessfully trying to read. Wally- the oldest of them- noticed the smirk and tapped his cards into a neat stack and laid them on the table. "What's the smile for?"

"Just wondering how those Aces are feeling in your hand." She said, seeing a perfect distraction from her headache. She set her book down, her smile widening as he fidgeted uncomfortably.

"What makes you so sure I have Aces?" He asked, his voice hitching on the last word, betraying his bluff.

"Three rounds ago you picked up the Ace of Hearts even though both the Kings and Queens are already on the board." She said, gesturing to the plethora of cards on Barb's side of the table. "You can't be playing them low since Cody has the Two's and Sabrina doesn't need them- she's flashed me her hand multiple times now- so you're not keeping them from her. Hence, you have at least two Aces in your hand. So I reiterate my earlier question: How do those Aces feel in your hand?"

His face was grim and his mouth was set in a hard line, but he didn't say anything else after that, yet when his turn came- after Cody laid down those twos- Wally drew a card and, with a look that said "You Smartass" directed right at her, laid down three Aces. She smiled and picked her book back up, her headache still not appeased; her secret locked behind the unrelenting pain.

_Yeah. Let them think I'm reading their cards… instead of their minds_. She thought as she leaned over and pointed to a card in Sabrina's hand, mentally nudging her, wanting her to pick up the card Wally discarded. _How easy it is to influence what they want. Shape it to be anything I desire. What would happen if I were to go a little further I wonder?_ Sabrina obediently picked up the card, laying down a run and going out; earning enough points to win the game.

"What do you say to another round?" Wally asked, looking at her, disrupting her thoughts. She was confused for a second as the pain came slamming hard against her mind, scattering her thoughts and making it impossible to think clearly. She stared at the others, not seeing them as the friends they were, her brain taking control. With a wrench, she pulled her scattered thoughts back to her and minutely shook her head. She had to get out of there and get out of there now. She cared too much for these people and she didn't want to hurt them, and she could. It would be all too easy. It was always there, in the back of her mind, waiting for her to get distracted, to let down her guard. She wouldn't- she would run before that happened.

"No thanks Walter. My head's killin' me and it's starting to get too dark to see the cards." She said as she stood from the table. She decided to make a hasty retreat to give herself time to recuperate. She grabbed her book and slapped the table with it, "Well y'all have a wonderful evening. I'm going inside."

"Alright. Night." Barb said, dealing the cards out for another round.

As she closed her door, she smiled, welcoming the solitude of her vacant mind. _Peaceful at last_. She thought as the crushing headache disappeared; the feeling so euphoric she sighed happily- the sound bordering on sensual. There wasn't a feeling as wonderful as the sweet release of the pain slipping away and her mind becoming in control of itself once again.

As she stripped out of her clothes and climbed into bed, the small voice in the back of her head- it was almost as distracting as the pain sometimes- whispered- erasing the last vestiges of pain like a soothing balm- calming her as nothing ever would. _It wasn't so bad; bad headache, sure, but at least you didn't kill anyone… today…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Well I did it... I wrote a second chapter. All thoughts are between Astricks (*) because my phone is being silly... Sorry, I'll fix it once my phone starts behaving again.**

*Wake up! You need to wake up now!*

She groaned and rubbed her temple as consciousness slowly returned to her. She tried to open her eyes but the bright lights forced them closed again. *How long have I been out?* She asked the voice in her head, the one that had awoken her.

*Oh darlin'.* It said, a moan of agony that had her eyes flying open, forgetting the lights. She rubbed the spots from her eyes and felt a warm stickiness that clung to her face. She held her hands up close to her face and squinted, allowing her eyes to adjust to the brightness. The red liquid that she couldn't help but recognise was painted along her hands and forearms. As her eyes became adjusted to the light she noticed more on her jeans and shirt, staining them with the life's blood of God knew who.

*Who was it this time?* She asked, carefully standing. She had awoken on the floor of her room, her clothes stained with blood and the smell of death in the air. She stumbled into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, gazing at the face that didn't seem to belong to her. Her amber colored eyes were large from shock and her face was pale and covered with blood. She looked down at her shaking hands then quickly looked away again, blindly groping for the water faucet.

As soon as she cleaned the blood off her arms and face, she stripped off her blood soaked clothes and donned clean ones. *What are you going to do?* The voice asked softly, knowing how close he was to losing it. *Leave. I can't stay here. The police will bee here soon and want to know what happened and I wouldn't have an answer for them.* She packed what little clothes she had in a small duffle bag and placed a cap on her head, trying to hide the blood that was in her light blonde hair.

She just made it to the end of the street when the police rounded the corner, speeding towards the motel she had just vacated. She ducked into a nearby alley and slumped against the wall and cried for the friends that she has become so close to. *How could be so stupid! I knew! I knew better than to get so close to another person! And now they're all dead!*

*Its not your fault you know.*

*Yeah? Well tell that to me when I stop waking up with blood all over me. When I stop blacking out and murdering rooms of people.* She yelled in her head, hiccuping as she forced herself to stop crying. She pushed herself off the ground and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. When she knew she wouldn't start crying again, she's headed downtown to the bus station and left the city far behind.

"Where are you from?"

She jerked her head up and realized there was a guy sitting across from her. He had short shaggy brown hair and light blue eyes. His body was a medium build and well tanned; he had the overall look of someone who took pride in their appearance and flaunted it often. She shrugged her shoulders and cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say that would make him go away. "My boyfriend and I are from Chicago."  
"Boyfriend huh?" He said, a cocky grin on his face, "That's funny. You didn't have a guy with you when you came in here."

She froze; he had been watching her. A quick look into his mind showed her that he simply thought of women as prize trophies; something to be won, then put in a corner to be forgotten. Simply abandoning her lie, she didn't answer him back, looking down at the book she was pretending to read.

The bus ride had been delayed by a major thunderstorm in Tennessee and now she and everyone else stuck in the Nashville terminal, Waiting for the storm to pass. With all the minds pressing against hers, she could barely think, let alone converse and her mental companion was almost completely immobilized by the steady pounding and dark energy contained within the pain.

When it looked like he would began flirting with her again, she grabbed her bag and ran out of the bus station, throwing around expletives as the door shut behind her. Now that she was away from others, the pain began to subside and her companion wasn't as immobilized. She stood pressed against the glass, trying to stay dry, as she braced herself to go back inside. Taking a few deep breathes she grabbed a hold of the door but stopped when she noticed that same guy walking towards her, a grin spreading across his face.

She groaned and turned away from the bus station, cursing the whole of humankind as she headed across the street, ignoring the pummeling rain.

*Leave it to one egotistical idiot to ruin a perfectly* dry *trip.* Her companion said, its voice dripping acid.

*You could have stayed if you wanted.* she said, sarcastically, a reluctant smile playing on her lips.

*harty har har har.* It said dryly, groaning at the rain. *Where are we going now?*

*I'm hungry. I'm going to find the first place that sells food, and grab a bite to eat.* She said, scanning the buildings for a cafe. *Did you want anything?*

*Oh so* now *you have a sense of humor.*

She just ignored that and kept walking, really wanting something to eat, but more than that she wanted somewhere quiet so she could rest. The bus hadn't been overly crowded, but there had been enough people to keep the pain at the edge of her mind. That coupled with the fact that she was terrified of blacking out again, kept her from sleep.

She finally found a small sixties style diner just up the road from the bus station and hurried inside out of the rain. She sat in the booth closest to the door and took off her soaked jacket, *Well this is cozy.*

A buxom woman in a bright red smock hurried over to her table and laid a laminated menu on the table. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Just a glass of ice water please." She said, picking at the corner of the menu.

"Sure thing hun," the waitress said, stuffing her notepad back into the pocket of her smock. "I'll be right back with your water."

"Thanks." She muttered, waiting for the lady to leave before she laid her head down on the table. She was so exhausted. She had been fighting the pain for most of the day, and it left her feeling lightheaded and hollow. She closed her eyes, but all she found there were the faces of her friends as they looked that last night, smiling and laughing, having a blast as they all played cards to pass the time. Barbs bright blue hair catching the dying light, almost turning purple in its glow. Cody and Sabrina were both arguing about who called the last Rummy first and Wally was sitting there tapping his cards, thinking about his next move. It was such a small moment, inconsequential, but it was so bright, so full of life. Then the scene changed. They were all still there, but they were all slumped over, blood coating every surface, the echo of their screams still in the air. In horror she realized that the vision wasn't her imagination, but a memory. That was how they had looked right after... after she had murdered them.

*No.* Her companion cried, its voice cracking in sorrow. *That was* not *you!*

Before she could reply, there was a tap on the table. She sat up so quickly she scared the waitress into jumping back a step. "Oh, sorry dear. Didn't mean to scare ya."

"No that's okay." She said, taking a large gulp of water. Her throat suddenly on fire.

"Still need time to figure out what you want to eat?" The waitress asked, holding her pen and pad at the ready.

"Sorry, yeah. Guess I dozed off for a second." She said, opening the menu.

"Oh that's alright dear. I'll just come back in a little bit." She strolled back to them counter, cleaning up after another customer.

*Did you show me that?* she asked the voice in her head, anger tinging her thoughts red.

*Absolutely not! Your pain is mine!* It said, hurt in its voice. *Why would I purposely hurt myself?*

*But if you didn't show it to me,* She said, rubbing her temple as a sharp pain shot across her forehead, *How did I see it? I've never seen them before.*

*Maybe you're getting stronger?* It said, sending her warmth, trying to block the pain before it grew more powerful. *Maybe it means you're getting closer to finally getting rid of it?*

*But if it means I will* remember *then I don't want to get stronger!* She said, holding back the tears.

"Ready dear?" The waitress was back, a patient smile on her face.

"Yeah. Can I get a hamburger and fries?"

"Coming right up."

As soon as she finished her food, she left the diner, meaning to trudge back up the street to the bus station. She didn't make it a block before a pickup truck stopped, a middle aged man Waving her over. "Need a ride? Not right, leaving a pretty thing like yourself out in the rain."

"No that's fine. I'm not going too far." She said, but the thought of the crowded bus station had prickles of pain creeping into her mind.

"I insist." He said, stepping out of the truck, brandishing an umbrella. It snapped open and he held it over her head, gesturing with his other hand toward the front of the truck. As soon as she was strapped into the passenger seat, her bag in her lap, he hurried back to the driver side, slamming the door and rubbing the water out of his hair. "So where you headed darlin'?"

"Headed toward Kentucky." She said, lying through her teeth. "I got family out that way. If you could take me as far as you can, that would be appreciated."

"I could take you as far as Bowling Green." He said, already starting the engine. He did a quick U-turn and headed away from the glow of Nashville and further away from her last killing spree.

*How many times do I have to tell you!* Her companion said, consternation in its voice, *That isn't you! That's something else. Something evil taking you over.*

*But its still inside me.* She said, having trouble keeping her eyes open. She rested her head on the door and watched the lights flying by, her vision getting dimmer as sleep threatened to take over. She shook her head, trying to keep the sleep at bay, but it was no use. She had been awake for too long, her body needed sleep.

"If you're tired, go ahead and sleep. Its gonna take awhile to get there and you look exhausted." The guy said, turning on the radio to an oldies station, Patsy Cline's voice filling the cab as she sang Sweet Dreams.

"Thank you." She mumbled quietly as she laid her head back on the door, the motion of the truck rocking her to sleep.

She awoke with a start when an unpleasant feeling crept into the truck. It was dark and malevolent and aimed straight at her. She tried to act as though she was still asleep as she fought not to hyperventilate. *Where is it coming from?*

A dark, evil sounding chuckle sounded from the drivers side of the truck and a shiver went down her spine.

The feeling solidified into a thought, and it was aimed right at her. Lust was on the mans mind and here was a seemingly helpless girl to help him sate it.


End file.
